Most artists rent a hotel room when they stop off on tour, bunk up with a rich mate or sleep in the back of a bus or whatever.

Not so Beyoncé and Jay Z, who have apparently gone to the predictably extravagant extreme and purchased a sprawling £5.5million townhouse in Mayfair, London ahead of their rumoured string of shows in the UK later this year.

The power couple are thought to have trawled the length and breadth of the British Isles – including the Cotswolds – searching for the perfect property, before settling on the plush detached pad in the capital city.

“Both Jay and Beyoncé are Anglophiles and have been toying with the idea of getting a pad for a couple of years now,” The Mirrorquotes a source close to the pair as saying.

“On previous trips, they have stayed in five star hotels and, on one occasion, rented a mansion. While money isn’t an issue, it makes sense for them to have a more permanent base and get to know one particular area.

“They are coming to England this year and touring before the year is out.”

Surrounding their (alleged) new home near Portobello market are a number of up-market restaurants, as well as top private primary schools, should they wish to make their stay more permanent and enrol two-year-old Blue Ivy in public education.

All of which will of course be a snip for the couple, who should recoup their spend fairly easily if rumours that they’re set to make more than £2million a show from their tour of the US are accurate.